


Across the stars

by Micte



Category: Jupiter Ascending (2015), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/M, Jupiter Ascending Fic Challenge, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-14 21:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5759257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Micte/pseuds/Micte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All the moments that shaped their lives and the future of the galaxy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The girl

Jupiter’s mom is just another maid at the palace, but that doesn’t stop the little girl from sneaking into an important meeting between the Queen of Naboo and her advisors. She doesn’t even think twice after hearing the words ‘Trade Federation’ and speaks up her mind, getting everyone’s attention.

“What did you just say?” asks the Queen in a sweet voice, trying to offer the surprised girl a friendly face in a room full of offended grown ups.

“We shouldn’t negotiate with terrorists,” says Jupiter in a firm whisper. It was actually her mother who said that to her aunt in a heated conversation about the future of their planet, but the girl doesn’t want to cause her family any problems. Is she even allowed to be in that room? “Am I in trouble, your Majesty?”

“Of course not,” says Queen Kalique clearly delighted with her answer and extends her hand to the girl, “come closer, and pay attention to everything, alright?”

Five years later, Queen Kalique’s protégé is elected Queen of Naboo and is crowned in a beautiful ceremony held on the main street of Theed. Her little head is spinning so fast with all the exciting things she’ll get to see and do that she cannot even imagine that four years after she will be on the run with two Jedi Knights and a damaged ship stuck on Tatooine.


	2. The boy

The mission gets more complicated and interesting by the hour, or at least that’s what Master Stinger thinks. The negotiations with the Trade Federation have already involved poisoned gas, battle droids, angry Gungans, giant sea creatures, rescuing Queen Jupiter from an invasion and now betting on a podrace.

“Are you sure about this, Master?” asks Kiza apparently calm on the surface but Stinger knows his Padawan enough to notice she’s far from optimistic.

“About putting all our hopes in the tiny hands of an orphaned slave boy from Tatooine? Sure.” He smiles and she raises her eyebrows in disbelief of his composure, “The Force is strong in him,” he offers while watching little Caine getting his pod ready for the race.

“I know Master. I can sense it,” says Kiza, and Stinger is sure of that but she doesn't know about the prophecy. He doesn’t want to tell anyone else until they reach the Republic.

First, Caine needs to prove he’s the best pilot on that planet and then, if they all get out of there alive, he could ask the Council to take the kid as his pupil.

They wouldn’t refuse proper training to The Chosen One.


	3. Their first meeting

Jupiter, still in her maid disguise, offers Caine a blanket when the ship takes off Tatooine and he asks if she’s an angel.

The girl laughs for the first time since the conflicts started and wonders what it feels like to be able to see the world through such innocent eyes.

She’s fourteen but it feels like she has already lived through thirty years of duty and she is sure it must be nice to have a fresh start, like the one Master Stinger is giving Caine right now.

She ruffles the kid’s blond hair. He’s cute. She likes him.

He blushes and thinks that it’s sad that eventually she will have to go back to Naboo with her Queen. She’s pretty and nice and he feels a little bit warmer around her. He likes her.


	4. Their first goodbye

At the end of the battle Jupiter gains her planet back but Kiza loses her master at the hands of Darth Falque.

There are talks about victory celebrations and whispers about some dark force coming back to life. Caine wants to know what is going on, but Master Tsing’s just named Kiza a Jedi Knight with the authorization to train him (following Stinger’s last wish) and he doesn’t want to give her any reason to change her mind.

So he remains silent and obedient (at least for now). He lets the sadness take over when he thinks about Master Stinger and forgets about everything that’s wrong when he thinks about Jupiter.

 _Queen_ Jupiter; he knows now that the maid attire was for protection and it makes complete sense to him that she is in fact the ruler of a planet.

He thinks constantly about how royalty is out of reach for the slaves and now that he is officially a Padawan, love is out of question too (or at least that’s what Kiza told him before asking one last time if he really wanted to become a Jedi).

Master Stinger and Kiza helped Jupiter save her planet and gave him his freedom back.

For Caine the Jedi are heroes and that’s what he wants to be.


	5. The reunion

“I sense conflict within you, young Padawan,” says Kiza playfully as they approach the Senator’s chamber.

Caine considers lying for a few seconds before sighing heavily, “I am nervous…” he admits, making his Master smile.

“Senator Jupiter’s presence has great effect on the people around her,” she starts to explain fondly, “but you have to be strong and resist her charisma,” her smile remains, but the seriousness of her next statement shows in the intensity of her golden eyes, “She’s a politician after all.”

Caine gets this speech every time they are at service of the Senator and every time he fails to control the void in his stomach and the raising beat of his heart.

But this time is different, as the anguish in Jupiter’s expression reminds him the reason why they were called today.

“Master Kiza, Caine,” she says pursing her lips in a long line, a weak attempt to show a smile, “I’m so glad you are here.”

She uses that word but there are tears in her eyes. Caine senses fear and underneath that, anger and fury. He wishes he could take that all away and bring her peace.

“The council explained what happened,” Kiza bows her head respectfully.

“My ship was attacked and my decoy… Seraphi, was killed,” Jupiter explains and the weight of her grief makes it hard for Caine to breath and he wonders how she manages to keep standing strong while feeling so much.

Kiza assures the Senator that she has nothing to fear from now on while Caine promises to catch the culprit to bring him to justice. Caine senses his Master’s anger at his imprudence but it doesn’t matter after he meets Jupiter’s eyes: her relief reaches to him and steadies his heart.

It fills him with peace.


	6. The promise

Kiza doesn’t like politicians so Caine never shows that he actually enjoys Supreme Chancellor Titus’ company or that he trusts his advice. It’s not like he, as a Padawan, has a secret alliance with the Supreme Leader of the Galactic Republic, but it is nice to have someone appreciate his talents, specially when the Jedi Council focuses constantly on his mistakes.

“Normally I wouldn’t agree with the Council’s decisions when it comes to you, Caine,” he says while looking at the city out of the glass wall of his office, “but I think this time they are right. The Senator needs you by her side.”

“But it was my idea from the start to go after the assassin,” he knows he sounds like a child but that office is the only place in the Galaxy where he feels the liberty to speak without being judged. Well, there and in the presence of Jupiter.

“Personally, I feel much better knowing that you will be protecting the Senator,” Titus turns around and gives him an understanding smile, “She’s just such a precious person, so passionate and just,” in a few steps he’s in front of the Padawan, “A lovely woman, don’t you agree?”

“If you say so…” Caine nods while his eyes find the window and stay there. He can’t control the turmoil inside him, but he is skilled enough to pretend he’s never thought of Jupiter that way.

Titus sighs and puts a hand on Caine’s shoulder.

“It would be a terrible loss for the Republic and the Galaxy if anything happened to Jupiter,” this statement gets Caine’s attention and he can feel the Chancellor’s urgency in his words, “Promise me Caine that you will protect her until this terrible ordeal is over.”

He doesn’t need an order to do that. Caine believes that the need of protecting Jupiter is engraved in his DNA but he says it anyway, “I will, Supreme Chancellor.”


	7. The truth

They are going to die and Jupiter really wants to blame Countess Famulus for it. First she hired the bounty hunter Razo to kill her and then she had the nerve to capture Master Kiza when she discovered the Droid Army and what was Jupiter supposed to do? She couldn’t keep Caine bound to her in the safety of Naboo while his Master was in trouble.

And now that they are handcuffed in a dungeon of Geonosis, waiting for their execution after the failed rescue mission it is really hard to ignore the fact that no matter how much she wants to blame the Countess, none of this would be happening if Jupiter had not insisted to go to Coruscant in the first place.

“Don’t do it,” whispers Caine by her side.

“Do what?” she grunts bitterly.

“If you are this quiet you must be blaming yourself…” she doesn’t want to look at him but she can hear the smile as he speaks and how can he try to lighten the mood right now?

“Caine,”

“But this is not your fault…”

“It’s not…”

“…Listen, your Majesty,”

“Please don’t call me that.”

They both go quiet.

He keeps using that word but it’s meaning it's all mixed up for her now: the wall that divided the queen and the young Padawan in their childhood became an inside joke between the young Senator and the future Jedi Knight. She used to loved it when he called her that, but after he rejected her feelings…

No. This is not the right moment to think about that.

But Caine seems to differ.

“What I said back in Naboo…”

“I was out of line Caine. Forget everything I said,” she keeps her eyes on the metal around her wrists.

“I don’t want to,” Caine replies leaning closer to her.

“You don’t have to lie because we’re going to die you know…” she wishes she could turn around and leave. Pretending to be intrigued by her handcuffs will have to do for now.

“Telling you that I felt nothing, that was the lie,” those words make her heart stop, but he doesn’t, “I feel like dying a little bit every time we are apart.”

Jupiter looks up to him then, wanting to know what he means but she’s done asking questions, so she just gets to the tip of her toes and crushes her lips against his.

Caine shows his true feelings with that kiss and that alone would be enough for Jupiter if they weren’t about to be executed.

“In case we don’t get the chance,” she says before giving him a tiny last kiss.

“We’ll get it,” he says and even though the odds are against them, she believes him.


	8. The lie

The kiss is the beginning of the lie.

Their married life is shadowed by secrecy and the political tension keeps Jupiter over the edge while the horrors of war follow Caine into their bed.

The sight of Jupiter’s lifeless body in his arms makes him scream in agony every night and his only solace is to find Jupiter distressed, but alive, by his side every time he opens his eyes.

Jupiter’s the only person that’s ever mattered to him. He’s known this from the moment they met but now the realization that she’s everything good there is in his life is both breathtaking and frightening. She chose to be with him, but that doesn't mean that the universe cannot take her from him someday.

Jupiter tries to bring him some comfort saying they are just bad dreams but Caine knows what it means to still feel the cold of her skin in his fingers way after he wakes up.

“We’re here, with you,” she says, putting his hand over her stomach, “We’re not going anywhere. It was just a nightmare.”

He nods in agreement, but deep down he knows the truth: it’s a vision of the future and it says his wife and their baby are going to die soon.

**Author's Note:**

> So this started as a one shot and I ended up adding more scenes until i covered some of the most important points of Padme and Anakin's relationship.


End file.
